Harvey Compass ST-1500 Slider

[RobH]

For those who have the Harvey Compass ST-1500 or the similar SawStop sliding table; I want to share two small upgrades I made to my Harvey. I recently purchased the Harvey sliding table when it was on sale around Christmas. I installed it on the left side cast iron wing similar to what I saw others do on YouTube installation videos. This sliding table is awesome - perfect cuts and very easy to calibrate. No wiggle to the fence even though the pivot point is further to the left of the blade with the cast iron wing still attached. Despite how awesome it is, I couldn't resist making a few slight modifications to make it better:

1) I wanted the fence position to be a little more secure. I saw a few YouTube users use an extra Harvey red knob (from their miter gauge included with the Harvey Saw) and install it in the calibration hole to make the fence position more secure. In case anyone is wondering (I couldn't find this online anywhere) the Red Harvey knob is an M8 threading. I found plenty of M8 knob options on amazon and installed one for just a few bucks.

2) I don't like rulers that slide simply with pressing down. I find I am frequently inadvertently sliding the ruler then having to recalibrate. I drilled a small hole under the ruler and tapped for M6 threading. I used one of the small M6 screws that came with the sliding table (I think it was in the bag for the optional switch positioning kit) and screwed it in from under the rule to tighten it in position.

3) I really wanted a sacrificial fence but other online reviewers pointed out that the flips stops won't work with a 3/4 MDF sacrificial fence. I built a sacrificial extension on the blade side that friction fits into the steel extrusion. I used some scrap maple, one piece to fit in the extrusion, and another piece (almost exactly 0.5" thick) cut at a 45 to sit flush with the fence. A little ICA glue to press the two pieces together. I then threaded an M8 bolt into the extrusion to lock the extension into place and allow me to adjust the position if I want a fresh backstop. Works perfectly cutting rails and stiles for cabinet doors (which is primarily why I bought the sliding table in the first place.) The attached pictures hopefully help this make sense.

Anyway, just wanted to share in case anyone else found some of these minor issues frustrating. I think most of these modifications would work on the SawStop sliding table as well.

Rob H

 

[Warped Woodwerks]

Nice!

I ordered this awhile ago, but something happened (they delayed it for a 2nd time), so I cancelled my order. It was $999 at the time, which was not bad. I think the lowest I saw this was $989?
Looking at the slider, just checked Harvey's site now, it comes with the hold down (which is $159 by itself), but is running $1,279. I'll wait until they have this on sale, again.

I am still on the fence with this, especially with not knowing how good the movement of the table is as well as the precision at 90 and how accurate the angles are.
I am pretty anal about my toys and would like to know how straight\flat that fence is across the entire length (43") & fully extended (59")? I am not sure I'd ever have a reason to fully extend the fence any further than the stock length, but one never knows.

I have a Makita track saw with all 3 different lengths of tracks, for breaking ply down to manageable pieces, as well as a TSO guide rail square for those 90 degree cuts. If the accuracy of this slider is just as good\accurate as my track saw & TSO guide rail square setup, I'd probably ditch the TSO & track saw after the initial 1st straight cut with it and use this slider for crosscuts. I'd probably sell my INCRA 500, too, since if I had this, I'd no longer need the INCRA. I could recoup some money, tax, at least

I have an older Harvey miter, so if I were to get this slider, I'd probably use the knob from the miter gauge with this slider to lock the fence even more.
Can you use the Harvey knob further to the left of where it is in your picture? If so, I think having the knob further to the left would make the fence even sturdier.

I have the Harvey router table (I bought the larger of the 2) and fence, and built my own cabinet.. I really like it. If the accuracy and build quality of this slider is just as good, I just might snag this when it is next on sale. Their BIG EYE rip fence has me drooling too.

I see you have the left table top wing on. I see some YouTubers leave the wing on and some take the wing off. Just curious, any reason why you left the wing on?
Did you have to do anything with your SS rails, or wing, in order to fit this slider? I own a SS PCS and this info would be very helpful.

Side note.. I quickly checked out the SS slider and there is no comparison to this Harvey..

Harvey by a mile.... imo.

Thanks for doing a post on this... Now.. I am jealous

 

[RobH]

Nice!

I ordered this awhile ago, but something happened (they delayed it for a 2nd time), so I cancelled my order. It was $999 at the time, which was not bad. I think the lowest I saw this was $989?
Looking at the slider, just checked Harvey's site now, it comes with the hold down (which is $159 by itself), but is running $1,279. I'll wait until they have this on sale, again.

I am still on the fence with this, especially with not knowing how good the movement of the table is as well as the precision at 90 and how accurate the angles are.
I am pretty anal about my toys and would like to know how straight\flat that fence is across the entire length (43") & fully extended (59")? I am not sure I'd ever have a reason to fully extend the fence any further than the stock length, but one never knows.

I have a Makita track saw with all 3 different lengths of tracks, for breaking ply down to manageable pieces, as well as a TSO guide rail square for those 90 degree cuts. If the accuracy of this slider is just as good\accurate as my track saw & TSO guide rail square setup, I'd probably ditch the TSO & track saw after the initial 1st straight cut with it and use this slider for crosscuts. I'd probably sell my INCRA 500, too, since if I had this, I'd no longer need the INCRA. I could recoup some money, tax, at least

I have an older Harvey miter, so if I were to get this slider, I'd probably use the knob from the miter gauge with this slider to lock the fence even more.
Can you use the Harvey knob further to the left of where it is in your picture? If so, I think having the knob further to the left would make the fence even sturdier.

I have the Harvey router table (I bought the larger of the 2) and fence, and built my own cabinet.. I really like it. If the accuracy and build quality of this slider is just as good, I just might snag this when it is next on sale. Their BIG EYE rip fence has me drooling too.

I see you have the left table top wing on. I see some YouTubers leave the wing on and some take the wing off. Just curious, any reason why you left the wing on?
Did you have to do anything with your SS rails, or wing, in order to fit this slider? I own a SS PCS and this info would be very helpful.

Side note.. I quickly checked out the SS slider and there is no comparison to this Harvey..

Harvey by a mile.... imo.

Thanks for doing a post on this... Now.. I am jealous

They may have improved their process as my order shipped within a few days. FedEx had a few weather delays but that was expected.
I have a track saw and TSO guide rail as well - I still use that to make the initial cuts in sheet goods but then use the table saw for final dimensioning to ensure repeatability. This sliding table is perfect for that and for long crosscuts on long stretchers or rails/stiles.

I find the fence to be perfectly flat along the primary fence. There is a slight front and back play on the extension piece but no play laterally (distance from blade). I haven't used it for a long angle cut yet but it holds perfect square to the blade once calibrated.

I kept the left wing on for two reasons - primarily because I have large assembly table behind the saw that lines up with the length of the table saw including the left wing. Moving it to the right (when looking from the front of the table saw) would have made the table overhang the right side of the saw where my router is set up (on the right wing of the saw). Secondly, I previously routed dados in the assembly table to line up with the miter slots of the table saw. Too lazy to re-do that

On my sawstop CNS I did have to cut about 1/2" off the front guide rail. Simple with an angle grinder and file. The holes in my cast iron wing are the same as on the main table so I didn't have to do any modifications for the sliding table to bolt to the wing. Actually, the holes are such that there are two options to mount the sliding table - flush as mine is, or you can mount it further to the front of the saw which gives you even more crosscut width. I didn't need that and didn't want it protruding too much to the front of the saw as my workspace isn't that big.

You can mount the main red knob further to the left on the secondary/shorter sliding table. There is an additional T track there. I might move it now that you mention it.

Agree with you on the SawStop slider. I checked one out at the new Rockler in Cary before buying this one. I think they have the same bones (and probably the same manufacturing facility); but the stops with micro adjustment and the finishing touches on the Harvey seemed way better. And it came with the massive hold down, and they even throw in a full set of metric hex wrenches with a small case. Nice touch Harvey. I wouldn't trade my saw, except for maybe upgrading to the PCS) but I am impressed by Harvey.

 

[Warped Woodwerks]

They may have improved their process as my order shipped within a few days. FedEx had a few weather delays but that was expected.
I have a track saw and TSO guide rail as well - I still use that to make the initial cuts in sheet goods but then use the table saw for final dimensioning to ensure repeatability. This sliding table is perfect for that and for long crosscuts on long stretchers or rails/stiles.

I find the fence to be perfectly flat along the primary fence. There is a slight front and back play on the extension piece but no play laterally (distance from blade). I haven't used it for a long angle cut yet but it holds perfect square to the blade once calibrated.

I kept the left wing on for two reasons - primarily because I have large assembly table behind the saw that lines up with the length of the table saw including the left wing. Moving it to the right (when looking from the front of the table saw) would have made the table overhang the right side of the saw where my router is set up (on the right wing of the saw). Secondly, I previously routed dados in the assembly table to line up with the miter slots of the table saw. Too lazy to re-do that

On my sawstop CNS I did have to cut about 1/2" off the front guide rail. Simple with an angle grinder and file. The holes in my cast iron wing are the same as on the main table so I didn't have to do any modifications for the sliding table to bolt to the wing. Actually, the holes are such that there are two options to mount the sliding table - flush as mine is, or you can mount it further to the front of the saw which gives you even more crosscut width. I didn't need that and didn't want it protruding too much to the front of the saw as my workspace isn't that big.

You can mount the main red knob further to the left on the secondary/shorter sliding table. There is an additional T track there. I might move it now that you mention it.

Agree with you on the SawStop slider. I checked one out at the new Rockler in Cary before buying this one. I think they have the same bones (and probably the same manufacturing facility); but the stops with micro adjustment and the finishing touches on the Harvey seemed way better. And it came with the massive hold down, and they even throw in a full set of metric hex wrenches with a small case. Nice touch Harvey. I wouldn't trade my saw, except for maybe upgrading to the PCS) but I am impressed by Harvey.

Ha.....1 day later and the price dropped from$1,279 to $1,149.

Gotta love Harvey's ping-pong prices.. C'mon $999!

They must have improved their process, because when I ordered... it was going to be over 1 month, then they emailed saying another delay, so I opted to cancel.

I did see several YT's on the TSO parallel guides with track saw, for when you want repeatable rips\cross (Brent's Woodworking & More), but that looked too cumbersome. Every time you work with breaking down sheet goods, and when you want repeatable & accurate rips\cross, you have to bust out the track saw, 55" & 118"guide rail.. etc... Ultimately.. I should sell my SS and get a true slider.. but that is another topic

Having the ability to do larger\deeper crosscuts, without being hamstrung with the standard 11" - 12" crosscut capacity or a traditional miter gauge, would be awesome. With the Incra 5000, you can make a little deeper crosscut, but anything over 21" - 22" is a huge question mark, imo. Currently, I am working on making some shop cabinets, and trying to crosscut with repeatable accuracy backs that are inset into 30" x 30" cabinets... is not going to happen with the Incra 5000, or with my TSO & guide rails. They might get close with the TSO guide rail, but with the Harvey fence, you can sneak up on the cross cut with the micro adjust option & dial things in precisely. I love their micro adjust miter gauge feature.. It is also wonder on their router table fence. Wish I had that feature on my table saw fence.

Not sure if you can try angle cuts on that slider (22.5, 45, etc.), but if you can try on a piece of scrap.. longer scrap.. or something, then follow-up on the accuracy of the cut, I'd greatly appreciate it. Personally, I'd hate to spend all of that $$ on something like this slider, just to find out the accuracy of those angled cuts just isn't there. I'm not sure how often I'd do anything besides 90 degrees, but for the times I do... accuracy of mitered cuts is extremely important.

When you are not using the slider, does it get in the way, like the below linked video? I've seen a few people complain about this aspect of the slider, but maybe this is only on the SawStop slider, who knows how much they are just complaining to be complaining. Slider - In the way

You had to cut your rail on your saw.. a little? Eeeek. I'll have to see what my PCS looks like.

To me, putting the knob further to the left just makes more sense (screen shot from a video). I would think this would stiffen the fence even more.

Exactly.. the Harvey and SS slider are almost identical, but the Harvey micro adjusts make it so much nicer.


Again.. thanks for the write-up.

 

[Warped Woodwerks]

Skimming through YT.. very late last night.. I came across this newly posted Harvey sliding table video.
Not sure if they installed their table incorrectly, or if they received a dud, but do you have any issue like this?

Harvey sliding table wobble


Thanks again.

 

[skiz2331]

I have mine sitting in a box while resituating my shop. Fingers crossed it works flawlessly for that $$

 

[Warped Woodwerks]

I have mine sitting in a box while resituating my shop. Fingers crossed it works flawlessly for that $$

Agreed!

What table saw do you have?

More reviews on this sliding table is always appreciated. I'm still on the fence with this and more reviews, from people on here, are always great. Nothing worse than spending your hard earned money just to have a tool not be to your expectations.

I've been on the fence, lately, with selling my SS and getting an actual sliding table saw, but if this Harvey sliding table is decent enough for my needs... I just might have to pull the trigger. Track saw for putting a straight edge on my 4x8 sheets, then bring it to the TS to break the rest down to final size.

 

[RobH]

Skimming through YT.. very late last night.. I came across this newly posted Harvey sliding table video.
Not sure if they installed their table incorrectly, or if they received a dud, but do you have any issue like this?

Harvey sliding table wobble


Thanks again.

I have no issues with any wobbling of the fence. My guess is they need to raise the outside of the slider with the legs so it sits in plane with the table saw top, or they didn’t tighten the fence correctly in the t-track (counterclockwise to tighten).

 

[skiz2331]

Agreed!

What table saw do you have?

More reviews on this sliding table is always appreciated. I'm still on the fence with this and more reviews, from people on here, are always great. Nothing worse than spending your hard earned money just to have a tool not be to your expectations.

I've been on the fence, lately, with selling my SS and getting an actual sliding table saw, but if this Harvey sliding table is decent enough for my needs... I just might have to pull the trigger. Track saw for putting a straight edge on my 4x8 sheets, then bring it to the TS to break the rest down to final size.

I'm replacing a Robland x31 that I am selling with an older Unisaw. Probably will have to drill and tap a bit. Thinking I will leave the 7" wing on the left like I have seen.

 

[Warped Woodwerks]

I'm replacing a Robland x31 that I am selling with an older Unisaw. Probably will have to drill and tap a bit. Thinking I will leave the 7" wing on the left like I have seen

Hoping that you won't have to drill & tap, but if so... good luck.
If you do decide to leave the 7" wing on, please do some before and after pics (drilling\tapping, etc.), if you can.

The more and more positive posts I see on the Harvey slider, the more I am leaning towards getting one, so more posts\reviews are greatly appreciated.